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Nike SB app for iOS helps skateboarders learn new tricks and play S.K.A.T.E with anyone in the world

If you’re the sort of person that spends every waking moment with a skateboard flipping masterfully under their feet, Nikehas a new iOS app that could change the way you engage with the action sport.

The new Nike SB app is now available in the App Store, giving skaters a new way to learn some of the hardest tricks, show off their progress and compete with other ‘wood pushers’ in a game of S.K.A.T.E.

It all starts with the Trick Tree. Here, users can swipe up and down to access different types of tricks, depending on the terrain and their own personal style. These selections, which include flatground, transitions and rails, hide a check-list of tricks for the skater to learn, as well as demo videos and footage uploaded by the community. Once they’ve mastered a specific manoeuvre, they can then shoot their own 15-second video to prove that they’ve got it on lock-down.

Nike is also offering a series of in-app challenges to give skaters some inspiration (and motivation) throughout the cold, wet winter months. Professional riders such as Paul Rodriguez and Sean Malto pitch a particular trick, but then it’s down to the rider to film their own version at their favorite or most outrageous spot. None of the challenges are particularly imaginative at this stage, but there’s plenty of room for Nike to develop the idea.

The final piece of the Nike SB app puzzle is a tool that pairs up riders for a head-to-head game of S.K.A.T.E. If you’re unfamiliar with the idea, it’s essentially a round of sudden death penalties. Riders take turns to try to ‘set’ a trick – once successful, the opponent has to match it or take a letter. The first one to accumulate the word ‘SKATE’ throws the match.

Within the app, riders can see open games or start their own match. You’ll need to capture each trick to prove that you’ve landed it – once you hit the record button, it will start and stop automatically. No second chances, for those hoping to cheat the system.

The Nike SB app also features user profiles, badges for tracking skateboarding milestones and a shortcut to the Nike online store. It’s a solid app that should appeal to beginners who are struggling to find a community of skaters in their local area. Now, I wonder how long will it take for someone to max-out their Trick Tree? A day? Maybe less?

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